Hired on Wednesday by the Arizona Coyotes, Dawn Braid is now the first full-time female coach in the history of the National Hockey League (NHL).

“It’s something that I’ve wanted to see happen,” Braid said. “The fact that they respect what I do enough to name me as a full-time coach, or to name me as the first female coach in the NHL, I take a ton of pride in that. I’ve worked very hard for this opportunity. It’s been going on for years and I just look forward to going even further with it.”

As the Coyotes part-time skating coach last season, she already made an impact on the team. According to the team general manager John Chayka, “We feel that Dawn can provide a real competitive advantage for our team. The game is getting faster and it’s all about skating.”

Chayka went on to say, “Dawn is someone who we feel is at the top of her field so we thought it was imperative to hire her. She’s got a great personality and the players work hard for her and respect her knowledge. The bottom line is she gets results and that’s the key thing.”

Braid has also worked as a consultant for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Anaheim Ducks, Buffalo Sabres and Calgary Flames as well as spending seven years as the director of skating development at Athletes Training Centre in Mississauga, Ontario.

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